Only A Reflection Away
by Xiyazaki
Summary: Kagome tried to find a way to cope with being Kikyo's reincarnation, in her quest, unknowingly straying into the pathway of love. Now caught between the affections of two demons, she must face the hardest challenge yet. Choosing either Inuyasha or Kouga.
1. Shattered Reflection

_Only A Reflection Away_

Chapter 1

"Inuyasha?" Kagome stumbled blindly through the dark, trying desperately not to trip over half visible roots. Her fingers scraped over the rough bark of a tree as she eased her way into the feudal era's forest. Unable to recall how she had arrived here in the first place, a wild instinct took over her mind, drawing forth the hanyou's name. And it was peculiar, but Kagome had an overwhelming desire to see him. It was actually more than just a desire. It was a _need_.

The murmurs of hushed voices drew her attention to a dirt path outlined by stones, half-illuminated underneath the icy moonlight. Kagome's fingers nervously tucked a lock of hair behind her ears, the roar of suspicion, anxiety, and doubt playing a discordant melody in her thoughts. Her feet seemed to shuffle her forward on their own, and she held her breath as her shoes made soft scuffing noises against the path. After moments of tension and anxiety, the path cut off, a thick layer of leaves blocking the rest of it from sight. Kagome held her breath, and sure enough, the voices were right in front of her.

Like a net that ensnared its prey, the leaves held from view Kagome's suspicions. It was with a gentle rustle that the leaves parted and sighed with the flourish of Kagome's hand. Her mind went blank at the sight of two lovers, entangled in each other's arms.

It was Inuyasha. And Kikyo. A soft gasp pushed itself into her throat, where it remained trapped. Kagome clasped her fingers over her mouth, her eyes widening with anguish and heartache.

Neither Inuyasha nor Kikyo seemed to acknowledge her presence, almost as if she were invisible to them.

Inuyasha lowered his head, pressing it firmly to the miko's shoulder, like a wounded puppy that needed to be consoled. Her hand rose to stroke his silver locks, and she smiled warmly at the hanyou.

"I've been waiting for you all this time..." Inuyasha mumbled into her shoulder. Kagome felt tears cascading gently down her cheek, the feeling of the glistening tears startling her slightly. He had been waiting for Kikyo? Horror crept up her spine as she devoured his words. Ever since she had first stepped into his world...

Inuyasha had felt nothing for her? Even after all of the months that she had spent there with him, searching for the Shikon Jewel? She had missed so much school, her grades were slipping, and her life had been torn apart at home. But she still came to see him, even knowing that things would only become worse as time passed in her world.

"As have I, Inuyasha."

"I swore to protect you. And I will. Always, Kikyo."

At this, the miko smiled gently. "I know." She lifted her head to his, and as she did so, Kagome saw Inuyasha's expression- the expression that she had been haunted by for months. His love and longing for Kikyo were unwavering, and she felt her heart break. Collapsing onto her knees, Kagome buried her face in her hands. But not before seeing Kikyo turning over her shoulder and staring straight into her eyes with an expression of wicked delight.

Both the hanyou and the miko locked in his arms began flickering, a noticeable haze forming around the two. Their image swayed and blurred before Kagome's terrified eyes.

"Wait! Inuyasha!" she cried out, her fingers outstretched towards him. "Please don't go! Don't leave me here alone! Please...!"

With a cry of surprise, Kagome opened her eyes and bolted upright, breathing heavily. Her fingers absently fluttered over her cheeks, wiping away the tears that she knew would be there. Her chest stiffening with a muffled sob, she sunk her face into her hands, struggling to regain control over her senses. Through the mass of sticky tears and bed sheets, Kagome's eyes softened, clenching her fingers as she controlled her breathing.

"Was it another nightmare?"

Kagome jerked at the sound of Souta's voice, and she turned her head, careful to wipe all traces of her tears away before she faced him. The door to her room was open, with the young boy's hand resting on the doorknob, his face in a grim, melancholy expression as he watched her. He removed his hand from the door and crossed his arms, inquisitive eyes set and piercing.

Avoiding his question with a direct response, she immersed herself with the sight of her floor, not daring to look at him. "How long have you been there, Souta?"

"Ever since you started screaming," he replied. "It _was _another nightmare, wasn't it?"

Kagome nodded dully. "But I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

Souta's eyes narrowed at her in disbelief. "You're not fine, Kagome." Kagome cringed at the sharpness of her brother's voice, wanting nothing more than to break into fresh tears again. Is this what she had done to him? For almost a month now, she had faced the same sight, the exact same dream of Inuyasha and Kikyo's reunion. The dream always ended with her trying to catch up to the hanyou. And she never did. Her subconscious had triggered her fear, and she woke often woke Souta up with her screams as a result.

Not once had she told Souta what the nightmares were about. For one, Inuyasha was Souta's idol, and Kagome imagined that it would devastate the boy to hear about these images of his hero. And secondly, it wasn't as if Inuyasha was _actually _doing anything. They were only dreams, after all. Not reality. She observed her brother carefully, scrutinizing his concealed expression. Her heart rose sadly. He was just a boy! He shouldn't have had to deal with something like this...

She smiled weakly at Souta. "Listen, Souta. I'm fine, really."

"You're lying."

Her eyes widened, having not expected that response. He had never spoken back when she made up excuses for what her nightmares had been about, even though they both knew that she was lying. It was rather obvious, after all. Since she _sucked _at lying, as Inuyasha had several times been happy to point out.

"I'm not!" Kagome replied.

"Oh, really?" Souta frowned. "Then what was your dream about?"

"I...flunked all of my exams, and my teachers told me I couldn't graduate! They said I had to repeat the grade all over again!" Kagome answered, sowing a lie together hastily. Souta's eyes narrowed, but he sighed softly, failing to respond. It was clear to Kagome that he knew. Souta nodded to her, preparing to leave her room. There was nothing left to be said, but still Kagome could sense his concern. As he turned, she called out to him.

"Souta?"

"Huh?" He blinked and turned around.

"Could you come here?" Kagome swung her body over the side of her bed in a sitting position, stretching her arms out as he approached her. She hugged him tightly, finding it hard to imagine that this solemn, mature child had once been the playful boy who obsessed over his toys and watched television and teased her. Kagome felt him hug her back gently.

"Souta, listen to me. I want you to stay a kid. Stop growing up too fast," she suddenly whispered.

He blinked, pulling away a bit to look at her. "What?"

"Don't waste your time worrying over me. You've done enough- more than you can ever imagine. You're only a kid once, Souta." Kagome stopped speaking and affectionately ruffled her brother's hair.

"But, Kagome..." Souta began.

"It's all right, Souta," Kagome interrupted, stopping him. "Thanks for everything."

She smiled softly and kissed him on the cheek, resulting in a bewildered yelp from him.

"Do you hafta' do that? Kisses are _gross_," Souta pouted, slightly whining.

Kagome laughed, noticing that he hadn't wiped it off like he normally did. "I'll remember next time." She hugged her brother one last time before releasing him. Getting up from her bed, she yawned. Her stomach growled loudly, and she blushed.

Souta grinned. "Mom already made you breakfast, so come down when you're ready, okay?"

Kagome returned the grin. He had thought of everything. "You're the best, Souta."

He left her room, but a moment later, he popped his head back into the doorway. "By the way...Kagome?"

"Hmm?" She looked up at him.

"You might want to get some help for your snoring," Souta teased, falling into hysterical laughter at her expression.

Kagome was surprised at the change of moods, but her shock morphed into humor. "I do _not _snore!" she yelled, throwing one of her pillows at him. He expertly ducked the fluffy object and grinned, sticking his tongue out at his sister. The door slammed as he blocked yet another one of her pillows, and Souta reopened the door cautiously, poking his head through the gap.

"That's not what _Inuyasha _says," he grinned. His sister never even noticed the way that Souta's eyes glowered at the use of the hanyou's name.

"What?!" Kagome shrieked. "Souta! I'm going to get you!" She threw an armload of stuffed animals at the doorway, only managing to make her brother erupt into laughter once more as he used the door as a shield and ran off. There was the thud of his shoes as he dashed into the kitchen.

Kagome sighed, the playful atmosphere evaporating as she was left alone in her room.

"If this keeps up, I'll go insane..." she muttered gloomily to herself. And it wasn't exactly a lie, either. It had become normal for her to wake up screaming Inuyasha's name in cold sweat. Well, it was either the screaming or her waking up in tears. Souta had always come to her rescue, waking her up as soon as he heard her screams. To be honest, she wasn't even sure why she was having these dreams in the first place. Nothing unusual had happened since her last visit to the feudal era. But that had been weeks ago. She had stopped going ever since the first nightmare started. Kagome didn't think she could bear to look at Inuyasha.

Things had never been easy for them, even since the beginning, when Inuyasha had mistaken her for his priestess. It was hard to forget the expression of horrified disgust on his face when it dawned on him that the girl standing before him was only a lost schoolgirl. With time, the hanyou had become more accepting of who Kagome was, and they had developed a close relationship. But as her feelings for him grew, so did her suspicion.

It made sense, after all, for her to worry. She _was _Kikyo's reincarnation, whether she liked it or not. And just because she was an entirely different person, it didn't mean that Inuyasha saw her that way. The hanyou was too stubborn to ever actually say what was on his mind, but that might have been because he was an arrogant male.

He had definitely changed since their first encounter, but Kagome had often wondered how much of his heart had belonged to and died with Kikyo. Kagome sighed, sinking back into her fluffy pillows. Did normal people face this problem with love? Probably not. Loving half-demons made about as much sense as eating dirt in her time period.

Plus, with the addition of perverted monks, demon exterminators, evil spirits, and her body's former soul being brought back to life, Kagome figured that things might be a _tad_ easier for someone who was not in her situation.

How many people did she know had to suffer as they watched their former soul possess another body and once more draw the attention of their current love, who had previously been the first soul's love as well? None. It was far too complicated, Kagome groaned to herself.

It would've been so much easier if all these factors hadn't been involves. She sighed, vividly recalling Kikyo's possession of a clay body. It had been only a few months ago that it had happened. The expression on Inuyasha's face...

He had fallen in love with the priestess all over again. Kagome knew it the moment that she saw him watching Kikyo. That lovesick expression on his face...how many times had Kagome longed to see that look directed towards her? It was the same gaze that Inuyasha had possessed in her nightmares.

It was time to deal with the cold hard facts.

She didn't matter to him; only Kikyo did. It wasn't her that he wanted to protect...it was the presence of Kikyo that he wanted unharmed.

Her heart ached, silently begging her to remain strong. Kagome, remain strong, everyone kept telling her. But her heart was broken. She no longer wanted to stay strong. She wanted to hurt for once. Kagome was tired of this suppressed anguish, and tired of being unable to ache.

Biting her lip, she tried to recollect her thoughts. "Don't lose it now, Kagome..." she whispered, trembling at her previous thoughts. She was now afraid at just how _much _pain she was really in.

In an attempt to lift her somber mood, she reflected on a question Sango had asked her once when she was feeling her worst about the Kikyo issue.

_"Who do you see when you look into the mirror, Kagome?" Sango asked her friend. _

_Kagome blinked. "Me?"_

Sango smiled wisely. "Exactly. You. That is whom Inuyasha likes, and it is because you are who you are. You are not Kikyo's replacement. Have more faith in Inuyasha."

Okay, Kagome thought, maybe Sango was right. Perhaps she wasn't Kikyo's replacement. But she still reminded Inuyasha of Kikyo, and that was even _worse_. Kagome sighed. "I need some cheering up."

She approached her mirror and gazed at her reflection. Onyx locks gently adorning the sides of her countenance. Hazel eyes that flickered with will and determination, with courage and life, with caring and hurt.

_"Who do you see?"_

"I..."

_"Who do you see?"_

"I see..."

_"Who do you see?"_

"Kikyo."

All of her reserve crumbled. She would never be Kikyo. She would never be free from Kikyo's image. Every time he looked at her, the memories he immediately thought of would not be of him and her. It would be of Kikyo. She would always be tainted with Kikyo's blood. If Kikyo hadn't died, she would never have existed. She was stained. With the blood of her own reflection. She was a part of Kikyo, and Kikyo was a part of her. She could never change it. She could never be rid of this hurt...

Never.

Because Kikyo was only a reflection away.

Mrs. Higurashi hummed as she made her way into Kagome's room, carrying a basket of dirty laundry. She looked up from the basket to find Kagome's laundry basket and cried out, muffling a scream with her hand as she dropped the basket. Kagome's mirror, which had been arranged neatly atop her dresser, was broken. The mirror had been shattered, the shards lying scattered over the dresser's surface. As she bent forward for a closer inspection, Mrs. Higurashi could see the faint smear of something on the shards.

It was blood.

Kagome's blood...


	2. Trail of Tears

_Only A Reflection Away_

Chapter 2

Twigs lashed out at her ankles, painfully slicing through her skin as she ran further and further into the forest, engulfing herself in the darkness. It was rash- incredibly stupid of her to wander into the forest of the feudal era. Especially when there was no Inuyasha, Sango, or Miroku there to aid her in battle if a demon attacked her. Not even Shippo. The only defense that she had was clenched tightly between her fingers; her faithful bow. But she could barely make out the outline of her bow in the blinding absence of light. If a demon were to attack her now...she would have neither the strength nor the resources to defend herself. But it didn't matter to her any longer. Nothing mattered. Not the blood trickling from her knuckles, or the scrapes on her legs and ankles. Nothing.

Kagome was forced to halt as her body began weakening in retaliation to her overuse of energy. She leant against a tree for support, holding a hand to her temple. "What am I doing here?" she whispered sadly to herself. The point was to avoid Inuyasha completely, not end up back in his time.

She sighed softly. It was probably time to face him, she thought. He was probably waiting for her return, and she knew that he'd have returned to her world to look for her eventually. Besides, Kagome mused, it wasn't fair for her to hold out on returning here because of some silly dream. It wasn't his fault that she had been having these recurring nightmares. It wasn't anyone's fault, really.

Well, it was _her_ fault for being stupid enough to venture the woods alone, but at least it had brought her to her senses. Sort of. Kagome stood there quietly, taking another moment to make a definite decision on what to do next. Head back towards the village and find the others. Should she apologize for being gone so long? Hopefully they wouldn't be _too_ mad.

Now that she thought about it, Kagome felt tremendous guilt for leaving Shippo alone for so long. She, after all, was acting as his surrogate mother, and it was cruel of her to leave him like that. Kagome made a mental promise to avoid doing that again. At least they'd missed her.

Hopefully.

Having made up her mind to confront Inuyasha about why she hadn't been back so long, Kagome began to realize that she was facing another problem. She was hopelessly lost in this jungle of night, and her eyes had yet to adjust to the darkness. Great. So she was basically walking around blind.

Kagome was still debating what to do- whether she should wait until day to start moving again or to call for help- when she felt a distinct vibration beneath her feet. Alarm suffocated her senses, and Kagome froze in fear, waiting for the cause of the movement to appear.

Just as she reached for her arrows, there was a deafening split in the middle of the ground, and a demon rose from the debris, its eyes glowing in a wild frenzy of hunger. Kagome gasped at the size of the demon, but immediately regretted the delay in her defense, for it sprang towards her, sending clumps of soil spraying into her eyes. The young girl lost her balance, teetering madly in the air and fell to the ground.

A moment later, she cried out as she felt teeth sink into her scratched ankle with a vicious ferocity. It released her a second later, and Kagome immediately clamped her fingers around the fresh wound, feeling the blood trickling down her hand and into the soil. Reaching blindly behind her back for an arrow, her chest tightened in horror as her fingers grasped nothing but air. She understood immediately. Her arrows had been spilt over the ground when she had fallen. Now Kagome _really_ wished that Inuyasha and the others were here.

Holding back her overwhelming urge to panic, Kagome felt the ground surrounding her, trying to locate one of her arrows with her shaking fingers. The ground began to hum beneath her, and she knew that the demon was headed towards her for yet a second time.

With a cry of startled pain, she dove out of the way, rolling onto safe ground just as it ripped its body from the ground. It roared in disappointment, spiraling back into the earth a moment later. Kagome felt something being pinned under her weight, and in a blind confusion, she reached for it.

Her fingers coiled around something. It was an arrow! "Okay, Kagome. Calm down. Concentrate!" she told herself aloud. She had the bow and arrow. All she had to do now was to aim it at the demon. But it seemed that the plan had a major glitch. With her inability to see in the dark, how was she to aim? It was far too dark.

She felt the demon approaching again. And this time, Kagome was certain it would not miss unless she acted intelligently and quickly. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, for she knew that vision would not help her. She had to use her other senses.

Kagome concentrated her attention on hearing and feeling the demon as it neared her. It was moving very quickly. She positioned her bow. It was only a few feet away. Her fingers held the arrow with a determined firmness.

Two feet.

The bow quivered with tension.

One foot.

Her ankle throbbed in pain.

"Now!" she yelled. Just as the demon wiggled its way free into the night air, Kagome let her arrow fly. There was a deafening shriek as the arrow made its target in the center of the demon's heart, killing it instantly. Blood splattered everywhere, the hot liquid hissing as it splattered Kagome. Groaning and letting out a gasp of pain, Kagome managed to weakly balance herself on her feet.

Okay. So now what? She had to get help. Kagome knew that her strength would not last long; she could feel it fading from her even as she breathed. Using the bow as a crutch, she began moving forward again, not sure where she was going. All she knew was that she had to keep moving.

She bit her lip to keep from crying out as she stepped on a stray branch. It snapped, and one of the broken halves whipped out, lashing out against the puncture in her ankle.

Limping on through the forest, wincing occasionally, Kagome's breath grew short and ragged. The dull pulse that she had felt earlier had erupted into a mind-splitting headache. Things were not going too well, Kagome admitted to herself. To make matters worse, the ground began to slide in and out of focus, and she felt herself drifting off course several times.

Unable to walk in a straight line, Kagome realized that there was more to the wound than she had initially thought. The bite must've poisoned her...

Eventually, her body could take no more abuse, and her legs collapsed, sending her sprawling onto the ground in defeat.

Her lips, numb with pain, moved to speak, but would form no words at first. Her throat was dry, and to be honest, Kagome wasn't sure that she had the energy to move, let alone talk. She coughed, forcing her throat to let her speak.

_Inuyasha..._

"Please, someone..."

_Do you..._

"Anyone..."

_Love..._

"Help...me..."

_Her?_

By this time, it was hard for Kagome to think straight. Her hair hung limply over the side of her face, and she no longer could feel her fingers. She had lost the ability to move, and now lay paralyzed by the poison. All she could do was blink and slightly move her lips. But...

She strained to listen.

Footsteps?

_Inuyasha..._

A voice. Someone was shouting. "This way!"

Her eyelids were growing heavy. So tired...

Kagome wanted to sleep. However, the chorus of voices in the dark drilled loudly into her mind, forcing her to stay semi-conscious. Make the voices stop, Kagome thought weakly to herself.

She felt the heavy vibrations of bodies as they surrounded her. "Kagome? Kagome!" A rough voice was yelling into her ear. Her eyelids fluttered softly, flickering shut almost immediately.

_The air...smells of blood..._

She hadn't even realized that it was _her _blood.

_Inuyasha..._

Disoriented, she tried to make sense of the chaos happening around her. "Inu...yasha?" she tried to whisper. It came out an inaudible sigh; she barely had any strength left.

"No, it's me, Kagome!" His voice rose in tone as he began shaking her. "Kagome! Try to stay awake! You have to!" she heard him shouting. Strong hands lifted her gently, pressing her close to his body.

_He's...so warm..._Kagome thought drowsily.

She felt the soft caress of his fingers as he tucked stray strands of hair behind her ear and touched her face. She strained to look into his face, too tired to comprehend whom he was. All she could make out was the shadow of his body.

But...

She thought she saw...

Frighteningly beautiful eyes the color of gentle blue skies on a summer day...

"She needs help. Quick! Find a pack with a healer and..." Kagome began tuning out, feeling the darkness creeping over her like a fuzzy blanket. She tried to reach out further for the escaping warmth.

"...time to waste!" The voice was saying. Then, hectic, it yelled: "Kagome! You can't fall asleep! Do you hear me? You must stay awake!" He kept shaking her.

Stop it, she thought tiredly.

Stop it.

Please...

She was too tired to care, too tired to realize that she was on verge of death.

"Stop it..." she mumbled drowsily.

"No! I won't! Wake up, damn it!" He sounded frenzied, almost insane with worry.

"...I'm sorry..." Kagome sighed, and finally let the darkness swallow her up.


	3. Wondering

_Only A Reflection Away_

Chapter 3

"Kagome hasn't returned for a few weeks now," Miroku remarked thoughtfully as he sighed and gazed into the well. "I'm beginning to worry. She should have been back by now." Sango, who was sitting beside him, placed her hand on top of his. "Don't worry, Miroku. I'm sure she's fine. She mentioned something about her exams before she left last time, remember? That's probably what's taking her so long to return."

"Perhaps," he murmured in reply. And yet, he was not so sure everything was fine. There had been a time when Kagome had been gone for quite a while, and that had been because of a fight between herself and Inuyasha. Stirring up memories, the monk could not recall anything of the sort happening the last time the young girl had been back, but maybe he didn't know about it. Those two were obviously meant to be. It was obvious in the way that they fought, Miroku grinned to himself. But things were tense now. It was a dangerous era, especially with Naraku and the Shikon Jewel in the midst of it.

Now was not a good time to be falling in love. A mistake Inuyasha had unknowingly made with Kikyo. It had cost him decades of pain, and even now, there lingered traces of guilt and an indescribable heartache inside the hanyou. Kikyo would always be a part of him, and Miroku knew that she was the major barrier in the way of him admitting love for Kagome. That was no minor issue, for both Inuyasha _and_ Kagome were equally sensitive about the topic of the priestess.

Like he said. Now was not a good time to be falling in love. He stole a peek at Sango from the corner of his eye.

_But_...

He _had_ fallen in love. Miroku couldn't tell for sure if she was even aware of it, or if she returned the feelings. But he tried to hint at it often enough, in his own "special" way.

Unfortunately, this tactic was the exact same as the maneuver he used to hit on other women. Okay, so maybe there was a slight flaw in his plan. He coughed, turning his attention to her hand, which she had placed on top of his.

Miroku smiled and lifted a brow, hoping to lighten the mood a bit. "Why, Sango. I understand that you want me, but might I have my hand back?"

The demon exterminator blinked, and suddenly realizing what he was talking about, flushed bright red. Ah, yes. Sango was _so_ easy to manipulate. She snatched her hand back, cheeks still flaming. "Well, I..." she stammered.

He grinned smugly. "You know, you look beautiful when you're angry."

Sango blushed even more. "Don't say things like that to me! I know that you say that to all the women!"

Miroku's face fell. "Sango, you wound me! Your disbelief offends me. I'm your friend, aren't I? Don't I have the right to make _innocent_ comments?" He pouted, silently thanking Kagome for telling him that Sango was a sucker for his pout. And Kagome was right.

Sango looked genuinely concerned, and she edged closer to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm truly sorry, Miroku."

He smirked. Score! Playing on this valuable moment, he rested his head on her shoulder, knowing that she would be blushing at this time. Miroku glanced up at her, hoping that she would soon understand just how much she meant to him. "You're beautiful _all_ the time, not just when you're angry."

Sango's face brightened, though her look of joy was replaced with fury when Miroku's hands wandered off his lap. It was then that she slapped him. And Miroku knew instantly what the phrase "Love hurts" really meant.

Cradling his wounded cheek in hand, he smiled dreamily at Sango when she wasn't looking. He hastily dropped his gaze when she turned to him with a worried expression on her face. "To tell you the truth, I'm starting to get worried about Kagome too."

"Yeah! Kagome's been gone too long!" The two of them gave a startled cry as the mushroom next to them spoke. _Pop!_ It suddenly transformed into a scowling Shippo. "I bet Inuyasha did something stupid to make her mad!"

Miroku laughed. "Now, now, Shippo. Let's not jump to conclusions."

The kitsune scowled, crossing his arms. Inuyasha, who was sitting only a short distance away from them, had his back leaning against a tree. His ears twitched lightly, so Miroku knew that he was listening. The hanyou had not been in the best of moods for the past week or so. It was _obvious_ that he was worried about Kagome.

Shippo puffed up his chest, suddenly turning to glare at Inuyasha. The hanyou's eyes were closed, so it wasn't as if he could see him. The kitsune pointed an accusing finger in his direction. "It's all your fault, Inuyasha!"

Miroku sighed and hit Shippo with his staff. The kit clenched his head in pain. "Ow! What'd you do that for?"

"Inuyasha's clearly very worried about Kagome. We shouldn't accuse him of doing anything."

Sango nodded. "Miroku's right. We should leave him alone."

Shippo pouted, crossing his arms. "Well, even if he didn't do anything, he should at least _admit_ he's worried! We all know he is. He hasn't even gone to look for her yet! What a jerk!"

"It's more complicated than that, Shippo. If Kagome's really okay, she might get mad at Inuyasha for coming to her world. She might think he only wants her back to retrieve the shards. That's a touchy subject with her, right?" Miroku replied.

The kitsune nodded.

"Besides, we all know that Inuyasha's too stubborn to admit anything when it comes to Kagome," the monk added.

"That's for sure," Shippo snickered. There was a warning growl from Inuyasha that made the kit jump.

They all glanced towards Inuyasha, who hadn't appeared to move. He was still lounging comfortably on the tree, his arms crossed behind his head. The hanyou was wearing one of his infamous smirks, which Sango rolled her eyes at.

"Well, love is pretty complicated. They'll work it out soon enough, Shippo. They just need time," Miroku smiled as the kitsune mumbled some sort of agreement with his statement. When he looked up, he caught Sango watching him with something akin to wonder.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" He immediately asked, having never gotten this type of reaction from her. He hadn't said anything offensive for at least five minutes!

"No, it's nothing like that. It's just..." Sango stopped and smiled softly. "You really surprise me sometimes, Miroku." The way that she was smiling indicated that he wasn't in trouble, so he breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing his muscles.

"That's a good thing, right?" He grinned.

She nodded. "You're very thoughtful, monk. You seem to know much about the matters of love..."

Miroku couldn't let this moment slip by. He locked his gaze onto her beautiful face, staring straight into her irresistible eyes. She shifted uncomfortably, but there wasn't any way that he could let her go now.

"Of course I know. Do you understand why?" Miroku asked seriously.

Sango shook her head, her eyes wide open all the while.

"It's because I'm _in _l- Oof!" Miroku broke off his rehearsed line as Shippo plopped himself on the top of his head.

"Did you see that?" The kitsune asked excitedly. The monk sighed in disappointment, for the mood had definitely broken now. He looked longingly at Sango, who had turned away, and groaned mentally.

"See what?" he finally replied.

Shippo paused for a moment. "It's nothing. I just thought I saw something."

Miroku blinked suddenly. He thought Sango had just been watching him, but when he glanced back at her, her attention was focused on the well. The monk sighed softly. "I thought I saw something too."


	4. Lost

_Only A Reflection Away_

Chapter 4

Okay. This was getting really old, the eavesdropping hanyou decided, snorting indignantly as Miroku began sweet-talking to Sango yet again. It was probably the fourteenth time that day, but Sango never seemed to grow tired of it.

Women. Go figure, the hanyou shrugged lazily. But it was starting to wear out his nerves. Please talk about something else, Inuyasha begged, bored to tears. They could talk about _anything_ they damn well wanted, as long as it didn't involve Miroku's stupid pick-up lines.

Inuyasha growled. Hurry up and change the topic already!

And to his surprise, as if he was working on some silent telepathic command, Miroku said, "So do you think something happened the last time Kagome was here that made her want to leave?"

Inuyasha sighed in relief. Finally. An interesting topic. He was eager to know the response to this question, of course, being that he was growing worried about Kagome. She hadn't been back for a _long_ time, and he had been nervous, figuring that he had, in some unknown way, offended and angered her. He had replayed their last conversation over and over, trying to comb out anything that might have made Kagome mad.

But honestly, he didn't recall anything in particular.

He was innocent. Really!

His ears flickered as he awaited Sango's reply.

The demon slayer shook her head. "I don't recall her being angry before she left. I'm sure that if anything had happened, she would have told us by now. She's probably very busy back in her own time. Kagome rarely gets to go back, after all. She has a family there. Perhaps we are being inconsiderate of her other life, Miroku. She's not from our world, and we should take that into consideration."

Wow. Inuyasha had never stopped to think of it like that. He sighed, feeling guilty. This whole mess might be his fault after all. Maybe he had been pushing Kagome too hard to search for the Shikon shards. He grimaced. He had really tried backing off, remembering how many arguments his insistence had resulted in, and how many lonely nights he had spent in guilt. And the reason most significant of all- he wanted Kagome to stop thinking of herself as only a shard detector. She was so much more than that to him, although too dense to realize it.

Kagome was his friend. He shifted uncomfortably, trying not to think about the _deeper_ feelings he possessed for her. Feh. Feelings. Drifting back to his earlier train of thought, he wondered if Kagome had still felt pressured to keep coming back to his world.

It had been very selfish of him not to consider the double life that she led. Kagome was constantly complaining about all the tests she had to take back home. Inuyasha couldn't imagine wasting his life studying whatever she was learning about. He had taken a quick peek at one of her textbooks when he had been over in her time and hadn't understood a thing. He knew that Kagome received good grades in school, though he couldn't figure out how she managed to balance her top marks while spending so much time in the feudal era.

The truth was, Inuyasha thought to himself, he hadn't cared so much that she was freaking out about her grades because he had always kind of assumed...

That she would be staying here.

In his time.

He wasn't exactly sure if he meant this in the romantic sense; he just meant that he couldn't imagine what life would be like without Kagome. The hanyou had just kept making assumptions about the future without really bothering to map it out. Kagome belonged here with the rest of them; she belonged here with Miroku and Sango, and especially Shippo, who considered her his mother.

And she...

Inuyasha scowled.

...belonged here with him, too.

He hastily broke off his train of thought, turning back to the other three's conversation in an effort to distract him from admitting too much to himself.

"I'm telling you! It's Inuyasha's fault!" Shippo was yelling, hopping up and down.

Fury stabbed Inuyasha's happy mood. _What the_-? Did he just say what he thought he just said? Why that little brat! Inuyasha's temple began to throb at that comment. But he did his best to remain perfectly still. He would wait until he heard the remainder of the conversation before pounding Shippo into pulp.

Miroku sighed audibly. "What proof do you have of that, Shippo?" Inuyasha couldn't help snickering softly to himself. He knew Miroku would back him up, and besides, the little ball of fluff didn't have any proof of-

Well, he didn't do anything _anyway_, damn it!

"Well..." Shippo said, thinking carefully. Then he rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Look at him! He's a total idiot!"

Inuyasha growled.

"Hmm. That's a very good point, Shippo," Miroku agreed.

_What_?! Inuyasha felt his brow twitching.

"Yeah! What more evidence do you need?" The kitsune huffed. "He's got a serious temper problem, and he never says the right things around Kagome! She's always getting mad at him and stuff, isn't she?"

The hanyou stiffened angrily. What the hell? He did _not_ have a tempter problem! What the hell was that stupid little pipsqueak talking about? Damn that dumb runt! If he ever got his hands on the kit, he'd kill him! Damn fox!

Damn him!

Meanwhile, the other two were nodding in visible agreement with Shippo's statement.

"Well, I suppose he does have a temper," Miroku noted thoughtfully. Inuyasha twitched again. Just because he killed a few demons every now and then out of anger did not mean that he had a temper problem. Sure, he had been known to hurt people- especially annoying little fur balls and hentai monks- every so often, did that _really_ justify the claim that he had a serious problem?

Hell no! He should be getting a medal for it, in fact!

"Indeed. Remember the last time they got into an argument because of Inuyasha's thoughtlessness?" Sango asked. She sighed loudly. "Honestly. I don't understand men sometimes. They can be so ignorant."

"Hey!" Miroku exclaimed. He shut up after she shot him a deadly glare.

"I remember what you're talking about!" Shippo interrupted, saving Miroku from losing further self-respect. "Kagome didn't come back for a long time! And it was all because Inuyasha said something stupid!" he exclaimed. He scrunched up his face in mild thought. "Wait, I take that back."

Inuyasha softened his glare. Maybe Shippo wasn't so bad after all.

But then the kitsune continued, "_Everything_ Inuyasha says is stupid."

Miroku tried to refrain from grinning, but Inuyasha could tell that it wasn't working. The monk laughed along with the young fox demon. "Indeed, Shippo. Another excellent point!"

At least Sango wasn't laughing with-

Was she _smiling_ at that comment?

That was _it._

He moved with stealth, sneaking up behind Miroku and Shippo, his golden eyes intensified in a murderous glare. Then Inuyasha tapped them both on the shoulder. Miroku and Shippo turned around, their faces paling instantly.

Inuyasha twisted his lips into an evil grin. "Guess who?" he asked dryly. He clobbered both of them with his fists.

"You should really control your temper, Inuyasha," Miroku remarked, rubbing the newfound bump on his skull. The hanyou grit his teeth as Shippo snidely added, "Yeah, baka!"

"That's...it!" Inuyasha hissed through clenched teeth. He swiped Miroku's staff, chasing the two in a circle around Sango. Round and round they went, Inuyasha determined to make his two companions hurt.

But Sango put a stop to all that as she innocently stuck her foot out and tripped all three of them. Inuyasha crushed Shippo with his weight, and Miroku conveniently bowled over into Sango, landing on top of her.

Ooh. Ouch, Inuyasha grinned as Miroku received the beating of his life. He should've left the torture up to Sango all along. It would've saved him time and energy, at least. And it was definitely more interesting than the routine smack down that he administered to Miroku when he aggravated him.

"You're worried about Kagome too, aren't you, Inuyasha?" Shippo asked quietly after prying himself out from beneath the hanyou's body.

The hanyou was taken aback. He scowled. "What makes you think that?"

"She's been gone for a while. Who knows if she's even coming back?" Shippo murmured. Inuyasha blinked. This was some pretty deep stuff, especially coming from a kid.

"She'll be back," Inuyasha replied gruffly. But there was a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. What if Shippo was right?

"I think you should go check on her, Inuyasha," Miroku commented out of the blue. Sango nodded her agreement.

"What? Why me?" It wasn't as if the hanyou minded, but it was suspicious, seeing as how they _all_ agreed that _he_ should be the one to return to Kagome's time. Did they suspect something was going on?

"Because, idiot. You're the only one who can go through the well." Miroku rolled his eyes.

Oh yeah.

"We don't know that for sure," Inuyasha retorted. "You've never even tried to cross over to Kagome's time!" He blinked at the three unnerving glares shot in his direction. He was secretly thrilled that they had recommended him on this little journey, since he had been searching for an excuse to find her without forfeiting his pride. He was a half-demon, after all. He had to have pride, and who could blame him?

"Fine. I'll go," the hanyou muttered, trying his best to sound reluctant. He couldn't wait to see Kagome. As he leapt into the well, he thought heard Miroku mutter, "Finally. You know he's been dying to go back."

And then Sango chuckled. "Indeed."

It had only taken him a matter of seconds to reach the other side of the well and to clamber over the top. Too eager to surprise Kagome, the hanyou didn't waste time trying to stay out of sight.

Leaping onto one of the tree branches located next to Kagome's window, Inuyasha balanced himself onto her windowsill, peering inside. He couldn't help the fleeting look of disappointment that he displayed after realizing that Kagome was not in her room.

Maybe she went out.

With his claws, he expertly pried the window open stepped gingerly into the room. Her scent was still fresh, but there was almost a taint to her flowery scent. Confused, the hanyou wrinkled his nose, cocking his head inquisitively. And then his eyes widened in alarm.

It wasn't...

Couldn't be.

Yet, it was.

The smell of Kagome's blood was definitely there, though quite faint. Following the distasteful odor, Inuyasha came to a dead halt in front of Kagome's dresser, where he noticed that her mirror was missing.

What the hell? Why would she get rid of her mirror?

The hanyou stood there trying to make sense of it all, concerned with the fact that Kagome was bleeding. By the scent, he gathered that she had only lost a small amount of blood, hardly something to be worried about. But Kagome was _bleeding_, and that was all he cared about. It didn't matter how little blood she lost.

She was bleeding, damn it!

The afternoon sun began streaming light through the windows, causing Inuyasha wince as the light reflected off something right into his eye. He moved closer to the dresser and gingerly picked up something between his fingers.

A mirror shard? Had the mirror broken somehow? He sniffed the shard. The faint scent of Kagome's blood lingered on the fragment, puzzling him even further. He scratched his head, trying to use logic to figure it out.

The door swung open suddenly, startling Inuyasha. He cursed, nearly dropping the shard as he turned to find Kagome's kid brother staring at him in shock. Souta's expression quickly melted from surprise to unsuppressed anger, which greatly unsettled the hanyou.

Something terrible had happened in this room.

Kagome...

Souta crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes. "What do _you _want?"

"Where's Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, trying to ignore the boy's glare. "She hasn't returned to my world for a while and we've been worried about her."

Souta stiffened. "She's not here."

"Oh." Inuyasha blinked. Maybe she was out with her friends again. "Then where is she?"

"She's been missing for a week." Souta's voice with tight with anger, and the hanyou gazed at the boy's clenched fists with bewilderment, barely registering the news.

"She's missing?!" Inuyasha cursed silently. No wonder she hadn't been back for such a long time. The carefree mission that he had initially set out on to find out why Kagome hadn't been back had suddenly taken an unwelcome turn. "Where the hell is she, Souta?" he snarled.

"If I knew, she wouldn't be missing, now would she?" Souta replied icily.

That was it for Inuyasha's temper. Fighting to keep his emotions in check, he snapped, "What the hell is your problem, kid? Your sister's missing, and all you can do is sit there and glare at me?" It was unethical to hit a little kid, Inuyasha kept trying to remind himself as he sat through another one of Souta's glares.

Finally, the younger boy spoke. "It's because of you that she's missing. You and your Kikyo." Angry tears splashed down his cheeks. "You never could understand that my sister was different from Kikyo. It was because of you that Kagome had those nightmares! Did you know that she screamed and cried herself awake every morning? You could never know how much you made Kagome suffer because of your ignorance. You never cared about her!"

Missing?

Nightmares? Him and Kikyo? His mind tried to make sense of all the jumbled words that had fallen out of Souta's mouth. It all started to dawn on him a second later. So Kagome had been having nightmares about him getting back together with Kikyo? Is that what this whole thing was about? The hanyou probably would have laughed, if the situation weren't so serious.

But he felt himself growing frenzied with anger, hurt, and worry. How many times had he told Kagome that he didn't consider her Kikyo's image? He understood that they were two different people. Kagome was entirely different from Kikyo, and that was what he liked about her. Why did she continue to doubt him? He thought she was over that by now, and he hadn't a clue that this was still troubling her so deeply. He growled in frustration. Why was that girl so stubborn?

Now he was really worried. Worried enough not to have noticed Souta kicking him for a good three minutes. He picked Souta up by the scruff of his shirt. "Look, Souta. I understand that you're worried about Kagome. I am too. I had no idea that this was going on. I need you to help me find her, so calm down."

Souta crossed his arms, but stopped struggling to get free. Inuyasha set him down gently. "Is there anything that you know about Kagome's disappearance that might help me find her?"

"Her bows and arrows are missing..." Souta commented thoughtfully, adding, "So she probably went back to your time."

She...

"There's no way that Kagome came back there! We haven't seen her for weeks!" Inuyasha protested.

Souta shrugged, frowning. "Maybe she didn't want you to see her."

"But then where would she go?" Inuyasha snapped.

Where the hell would she go? Please don't let her have done something stupid...

Like wander off by herself.

Inuyasha's eyes widened. Oh no...

"I think I might know where she is," the hanyou stated, not knowing how scared he looked at that very moment. He thanked Souta for the information, told him not to worry, and departed from the room through the window.

As Inuyasha raced towards the well, Souta's farewell message kept playing over and over in his mind.

"Please...find my sister before it's too late," Souta had whispered.

Inuyasha had to find her.

He had to.

* * *

(A.N. To all of my wonderful reviewers, good news! I am still alive! I apologize for this extremely long delay! I am nowhere near where I want to be in posting this story! I am very sorry in having made all of you wait so long, and my only excuse this time is that I'm a senior in high school this year. I've finally finished SATs and college applications; only I'm taking 4 AP classes. 

I had honestly planned to continue writing this year, but I haven't had the time. I really took on more than I could handle, so I'm doing my best to keep up in school, and it's really taking up all my time. I'm sorry that all of you out there have to suffer with me, but I promise I'm doing my best to make things right!

As you may or may not have noticed, I took down Chapters 5-8. **DO NOT PANIC! **If you reread Chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4, you will realize that I have rewritten them. Why, you ask? Because I recently looked over my work and realized how much I hated what I wrote. So I did a little revision, and Miroku, Sango, and Shippo will be more involved in this story.

Don't worry, though! These revisions will not alter the story's direction (too much). Ahem. I'm nearly done with my revision of the other chapters, so when I find time, I will update **ASAP**. I know you guys have heard that several times from me before, but I really mean it.

I hope you don't hate the revisions too much- they were just something that I felt I had to do. OCD, you know. But before I go, I wanted to make one thing clear. I continue- and PROMISE- to see this story out til' the end. And unless I'm in some freak accident or something, this story will finish! I am not going to stop writing this story for any reason, although my updates will probably face some delays.

In the meantime, please keep reviewing, and please, please, please, e-mail me with any comments/suggestions. I love hearing from you all! Please be patient with me! Thank you for all of your support!

P.S.: If anyone has any "How to survive Senior year/College" tips, they'd be really appreciated- no joke! Thanks!)

-Xi


	5. Fantasy

_Only A Reflection Away_

Chapter 5

The first thing that Kagome realized when she came to was that she was hungry. No, wait. She was _starving_. The second thing she realized was that she was alive. That surprised her a great deal. And the third thing she realized was that she was not in her bed.

She winced as she slowly sat up, her muscles tense and incredibly sore. Kagome took a few moments to stretch out all the kinks in her joints, letting a few yawns escape her as she moved around a bit. Her movements ruffled the blanket that had been draped around her sleeping body, and Kagome ran her fingers over the fabric out of interest. It was made of fur. Surrounded by stone, it was obvious that she had been brought back to a den to recover.

Her attention eventually trailed down to her ankle, which someone had wrapped carefully in a cloth bandage. Blood had seeped through the cloth, and it was unnerving to see the amount of blood that she lost in the event of one night. The bandage would have to be changed soon.

"That was quite an injury," a deep voice commented from behind her. Kagome turned her head, startled to find that someone had been standing there all along, his presence undetected by her distracted attention.

"Kouga!" Kagome smiled as the wolf demon approached her side. It had been a month or two since she had last seen him, and she had missed him sorely. She did, after all, rarely got to see Kouga at all, unless they ran into each other by chance. Well, either that, or when he or Inuyasha had a bone to pick with each other. It was regrettable that she had been reunited with him under these horrible conditions, but fate didn't always put her in the most comprising situations.

Kouga seated himself closely beside her, close enough for her to bear the full weight of his gaze as he looked her over in concern. She blushed. Demons had never really been good with personal space issues. But the wolf demon looked as handsome as ever, and it slightly surprised her to see that his lips had relaxed into a genuine smile. It had been a long time since she had seen him smile, for those were especially rare from him, being the alpha male of his pack and all. He was _expected_ to be serious.

But he always managed to offer a generous smile whenever she had been around him, and she'd always wondered why he did that for her. He cocked his head inquisitively, shifting his full attention to her ankle.

"Your bandage needs changing," he remarked, and it was then that Kagome saw the fresh cloth in his hand. He pointed to his lap. "Place your leg here. It'll be easier for me to change the cloth."

Kagome's eyes widened in surprise, and her cheeks flushed. Was he kidding? "It's all right, Kouga. I'll change it!" she replied, so as to avoid the embarrassing situation. Kagome hoped he would take the hint.

But then again, demons didn't really get it.

He stared at her, a smirk tugging at his lips. It hadn't been a request, Kagome understood suddenly. And blushing madly, she did as he said, placing her leg on his lap.

The wolf demon was acting different today. His quiet demeanor surrounded him in an aura of mystery, making Kagome all the more uncomfortable. Where was that wolfish smirk? Or that undeniable charm that he possessed? It had been replaced with a sort of solemnity that was starting to freak her out.

Kouga began unwrapping the soiled cloth, his piercing gaze never leaving Kagome as he did so. His fingers moved expertly, unwinding the bandage in a manner that left Kagome's wound untouched; it wouldn't have been sanitary for him to touch it anyway, for there was always fear of an infection.

Kagome kept avoiding his stare determinedly, but she could still feel his eyes watching her. Eventually, she grew tired of looking at everything else but him, and met his gaze boldly.

She couldn't remember too much about the previous night, but she did recall gazing into his azure eyes as he held her.

Today his eyes were an intensely dark sapphire.

He smiled suddenly, revealing an ivory gleam of teeth. "All done." Kagome sighed. He was back to normal.

"Thanks!" Kagome said, finding herself smiling in response to his. She started to get up, but her limbs shook uneasily, forcing her to settle down in frustration.

Kouga quirked a brow. "I wouldn't recommend that you try that again. Your body needs to fully recover."

She groaned, glaring at her weakened legs. "I feel horrible," Kagome admitted.

The wolf smirked. "That's not a surprise."

Kagome blinked, and for some reason, immediately knew that he had been with her the entire time she had been asleep. There were dark hollows beneath his eyes, and he looked famished, as if he hadn't eaten for days.

"How long have you been watching over me?" she asked quietly.

He grinned smugly. "For the whole time you've been out."

"How long has it been? A few days?"

He laughed. "Try a week."

"A week?!" Kagome shouted.

"Sounds surprising, doesn't it?" Kouga replied, still grinning at her reaction.

She nodded wordlessly, secretly panicking mentally. A week? How could this have happened? She was going to be in so much trouble at home, especially since she hadn't told her mother where she was going. Kagome groaned inwardly as she thought of Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, and Shippo's reactions as well. They'd surely have suspected something was up by now. How could so much have gone so terribly wrong?

"What's even _more_ surprising," Kouga suddenly spoke, turning to stare straight into her eyes, and dropping his smile, "is that you were wandering the forests alone. In the middle of the night. By yourself. That's surprising, because I never expected you to be that foolish." Kagome didn't like his tone, especially because she couldn't make out the emotion being restrained behind it. He crossed his arms across his chest. "I would've expected that dog _Inuyasha_ to have been with you," Kouga added, his eyes darkening at the hanyou's name.

Maybe it was the way that her face paled, or the way that she stiffened, clutching the blanket, that tipped him off that something was wrong. Kagome was still unsure what to think about Inuyasha, for those nightmares had left a deep impression on her, and she didn't think that she could look Inuyasha in the eye even now.

"What's wrong?" he asked immediately, reaching out with his hand and touching her shoulder softly. "Did you two have a fight?"

Kagome forced a smile. "No. It was nothing like that."

"He always was a _fool_," Kouga muttered darkly, "But I suppose that this matter between you and the mutt is none of my business. All I care about is the fact that you're safe. That's all that matters to me. One of my guards caught wind of your scent, and alerted me immediately. You were in very bad condition when we found you, Kagome..." He paused momentarily, his eyes flickering with an indistinguishable emotion. "We found a healer just in time."

Kagome stared at him for a long time, lost in her scattered thoughts. He had done so much for her, and he had obviously been deeply concerned about her health, otherwise he wouldn't watch her the way that he was, and he wouldn't be this sleep and food-deprived. She paused. And then, with a forceful burst of determination, grabbed her bow, and pushed herself up to a standing position with it as her support. The bow unfortunately slipped from her fingers, and she swayed uncertainly.

"Kagome!" Kouga was up in an instant, catching her long before her legs buckled beneath her, his arm wrapped firmly around her waist. His eyes were cloudy with fear as he frowned at her stubbornness. For a moment, things were tense, and unbearably quiet.

But that didn't stop Kagome from what she wanted to do. She pushed herself up a bit, kissing his cheek. "Thank you for saving my life." That was about all the physical energy she could muster, and she reluctantly sank back into the warmth of his body heat as he gazed at her in a stunned silence.

Was that a _blush_ that she saw? Kagome hid a smile, though she was sure she was blushing herself. It was the least she could do to repay his kindness. Whatever trace of a blush that Kouga had carried on his face vanished as Kagome tried pushing herself up again, testing the limits of her remaining strength. She fell back into his arms again.

He arched a brow, a warning issued by the downward quirk of his mouth. It was an 'I told you so' sort of look. Clearly, he was not too amused by her willingness to strain her body. It wasn't exactly an angered look; instead, if was more of a skeptical, but still slightly interested expression.

"Stubborn, aren't you?" Kouga asked. "Stop wearing out your strength and rest. It's the only way you'll heal completely."

Who was he to talk about wearing out strength? _He was_ the one who hadn't eaten or slept in days! He was an idiot if he seriously thought she hadn't noticed. Hypocrite!

"And what about you? You haven't slept a wink since then, have you?" Kagome asked, her tone accusing. "And don't try to tell me that you're not hungry, either!

He seemed taken aback by her observation at first, but he slowly grinned. "You're absolutely right." Kouga suddenly leant forward with her still in his arms. His face was but a few inches from hers, close enough to allow her to see her reflection in his dazzling cerulean eyes. Kagome could feel Kouga's heart beating in sync with hers, and it made her more than just slightly uneasy.

"I don't want you to move from this spot. Do you understand?" His eyes were penetrating as they bore into hers.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"To get some food. Since you insist," he smirked, his expression barely containing his amusement. "But I need you to promise me that you'll stay here."

Kagome folded her arms indignantly, slightly irritated by her immobility. "Why?"

"Because..." the wolf demon whispered, the intense and low tone of his voice making her blush. His soft breathing tickled the side of her face. And suddenly she realized how close he was to her, how close their faces were...

"I don't want to come back to find that you're gone. I don't want to come back here finding myself alone and realizing that you were just a fantasy created by my imagination. I don't want to come back only to realize that the hanyou has stolen you away from me once more. I need to be near you. _That's_ why. Understand?" Kouga finished, his eyes boring into hers.

There seemed to be a much deeper meaning to the wolf demon's message, as if there were unspoken words, but Kouga fell silent and said no more. Kagome felt his eyes watching, waiting for her reaction, which was of course, to blush at the heated intensity and closeness of their bodies.

He smirked at the expression on her face, and settling her down with the utmost care, paused a moment to watch her. It was all too apparent from the way that he was scowling that he hated losing every second with her, but Kagome was too distracted to notice, being that she was trying to kill off her dizzying blush.

His eyes changed color, sharpening to challenge the shade of warm midsummer evenings.

"Wait for me, Kagome."

And then he was gone, his words still replaying themselves over and over in Kagome's mind as she tried to comprehend them. Kagome tenderly folded her arms around her knees, closing her eyes as she laid her head atop her legs.

_"Wait for me, Kagome."_

And then, a barely audible whisper hung in the silence of the den.

"I will."

* * *

(A.N. The story has changed a bit, so I hope you all aren't too annoyed at the direction it's going in, but I really think it's for the better. Trust me. If you liked this chapter, please do review! It means a lot to me to know you care! -Xi) 


	6. A Heart So Close

_Only A Reflection Away_  
Chapter 6

The demon slayer heaved a tense sigh, nearly overcome with an endless exhaustion. Kirara, who settled down warily beside her in her tiny neko form, purred tiredly. Sango offered her companion a smile fatigued with worry and panic. It seemed that Kagome's disappearance was causing the world to fall apart; Inuyasha hadn't eaten or slept in days, and his anger had spiraled him out of control, placing him on the verge of snapping; Shippo had been unusually silent after a violently worried Inuyasha had returned with the anguished news of Kagome having returned to their world alone. As for Miroku, he had taken to keeping a distance from the rest of them, trying desperately to use his abilities to reach Kagome.

It was impossible to forget the way that Inuyasha had looked as he climbed out of the well, his face set in a tight grimace. His eyes were burning with checked emotion, though his scowl and trembling fists belied his seemingly calm nature. He had told them what he knew about the incident, but she suspected that there was information that the hanyou was refusing to tell them. And she knew Miroku suspected the same, for she met the monk's eyes but for a moment, but from the way that his eyes sharpened signaled that her doubts were correct.

She had wept many silent tears for her friend, who she feared was in danger if she hadn't returned by now. They had always taken Kagome's presence for granted, and the demon slayer had never realized how close they had become. In the midst of their adventures, in between the rare breaks, they had always spent time talking about their lives. Sango had always been Kagome's confidante, and Kagome had been hers.

"You look tired," someone's voice remarked from beside her, causing her to start violently. She swung around instinctively, bumping roughly into the figure, tripping them both, and ending up on the grass entangled in Miroku's arms; his body was pinning hers to the ground.

"I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, blushing furiously as she tried to rise to her feet, which only worsened the situation. Miroku's smug grin was not helping, either. It was really a nightmare come true. Some of her embarrassment transformed into fury, and with a mighty push, she shoved the monk off from on top of her.

A moment later, she was seated back in her previous situation, a sheepishly grinning Miroku sitting comfortably beside her. As she peered up into the sky, she couldn't help but let her mind drift among the lazy ivory clouds, wondering where her friend was at that very moment.

"I'm worried about Inuyasha," Sango commented quietly. "And Shippo, too. He's been too quiet ever since Inuyasha returned."

Miroku's lighthearted expression faded as he nodded grimly. "Indeed. It's only because they're worried about Kagome. I wouldn't blame them."

They both turned their gazes in the direction of Inuyasha, who was balanced stiffly atop the cold well, gazing intensely into the pit of its darkness, as if he hoped that Kagome would appear at any given moment. The golden flare that had undoubtedly drawn Kagome to him had vanished, leaving sunken hollows of despair in its place. It was no wonder, either, for Inuyasha had spent nearly all of his time searching futilely for any trace of her in their time; the hanyou spent the remainder of his evening peering down the well in the exact same position.

But they had noticed that he hadn't actually gone back _into _the well. No, Sango thought, he probably wouldn't, considering the news he received the last time he had been to Kagome's time. Sango sighed. He was subconsciously afraid to venture back there, unknowingly fearing worse news.

Her eyes widened suddenly as she caught glimpse of Shippou, who was also seated atop the well, beside Inuyasha. The hanyou gave no indication of acknowledging the presence, distracted by his tragic hope that Kagome would appear; but the kitsune didn't seem to care. Without warning, the young fox began sniffling, trying without avail to stifle the noise.

Inuyasha's ears twitched angrily, and for some reason, he grew furiously irritated by the sound of the kitsune's choked sobs.

"Shut up!" he snarled. But this only made things worse, and Shippo's sobs became uncontrollable. He grabbed Shippou with one hand, flexing his claws in a deathly manner with the other. His eyes had melted into a fiery swarm of crimson rage.

"Inuyasha!" Sango began, starting to her feet. But Miroku pulled her back down, his face set in a grim expression. He shook his head. "We can't interfere. They need to work this out for themselves. Their grief is too much. Just watch."

And Sango watched, furious at Miroku's intervening, and concerned about Shippo. But it turned out that the wise monk was right.

Shippou hiccupped once, and, brushing away his tears angrily, scrubbed any remainder of mourning of his face. Inuyasha released him, his eyes returning to normal as he turned back towards the well. He said nothing. And neither did Shippo, who reclaimed his former position next to the hanyou. As the two sat side by side, sharing their silent tears, no apology was uttered, nor did there seem to be need for one. They had reached some strange level of comprehension, and while it had seemed that Inuyasha's threat had not been an idle one, Sango was now convinced that he would not have truly laid a finger on the kitsune.

Inuyasha was, in his own way, telling Shippo that everyone's grief was great, but that the burden of comfort for each of them was simply too much to bear. So it was better to lock it up. And Shippo had understood the message loud and clear. Sango finally turned back towards Miroku just as Inuyasha placed one clawed hand on Shippo's shoulder in a moment of peace.

The monk continued to watch for a few seconds more, thinking to himself for a moment before turning his attention back to her. "I know that you're worried about Kagome just as much as they are. But everything will be all right. I'll make sure of it."

With everything that had just happened, Sango's emotional level had expanded far beyond what she could handle. The way that his words soothed her, the way that he was watching her with that indiscernible expression, the way that his smile melted the hollows of her aching heart; it was all too much for her to process all at once.

She couldn't stifle the choking sob that escaped her lips, and Sango quickly buried her face into her hands, ashamed at her weakness. It was but a mere second later that she felt his hand on her shoulder, comforting and gentle.

"It's all right, Sango. Don't be afraid to let it all out," Miroku whispered, and it was to her surprise that he drew her closely to him, as if he were afraid to let her go. His arms tightened around her, and he continued to speak softly to her, soothing her with his presence and gentle tone. The tears flowed freely down her cheeks, and Miroku was quick, brushing them away with his fingers. Sango's body shook with silent cries of anguish.

And then she suddenly realized how tired she was, remembering that like Inuyasha, she had suffered sleepless nights ever since hearing the news. Fatigue drowned her in an empty void of a desperate need for rest.

"I'm just...so tired, Miroku...so tired..." she whispered numbly, devastated by Kagome's situation. There was a brief pause, in which she glanced at him discretely from the corner of her eye. His eyes seemed to darken with concern, and it shocked her to see his lips twisted into such a grim line.

And then, he brought his hand to the back of her head, directing it towards his shoulder, stroking her hair. All she wanted to do now was to sleep. Sleep and forget...

"Miroku..." she began, but he cut her off soothingly.

"Shh, Sango..." Miroku soothed. "Just sleep now. Everything will be all right, I promise. Kagome's fine, and we'll find her, wherever she is. You don't have to carry this burden all on your own Sango. It's overcoming you with exhaustion, and I worry."

The demon slayer's eyes began to flicker softly as his voice wrapped around her in a blanket of mesmerizing care. She felt her body involuntarily release all the tension from her muscles, and her head softly fell onto his shoulder.

"I know you think that you need to be strong right now, and that you're all alone in this grief. But you're not. You're never alone, don't you know that, Sango? I'll always be there to protect you. This I swear with my life. I know how much time I've already wasted by not telling you the truth, but..." he paused, brushing a stray wisp of hair from her face, "I don't know how to tell you."

Miroku laughed suddenly, a laugh that she barely comprehended as bitter. "It's funny isn't it, Sango? I can only bring myself to talk to you when you are in such a state as this, and yet, out of all the words that exist, I can't find the right words to say around you."

Sango's eyes fully closed. His voice was so warm and soothing, and she wished that he would never stop speaking, for she liked the way that things were now, though she was barely conscious enough to understand the monk's words. His fingers stroked her hair softly in a rhythmic, hypnotic motion.

"One day I will tell you, Sango. One day you'll know how I really feel."

The beginning of her submergence into unconscious was marked by the colors that swam behind her closed eyelids. His voice sounded as if it were coming from a place far, far away. But the soothing melody of his whispers continued to wash over her in a dreamy aura.

"And until that day, all I can do is hide the truth from you. I must continue to watch you from afar, longing to speak these words. Looking into your beautiful eyes, I find myself lost, burdened with this lie. But that will all change one day. And on that day, I'll finally be able to tell you, Sango. I'll be able to tell you the depth of my love for you. Of how it will last longer than time itself. Of how it is deeper than the sea itself, how it stretches far beyond the horizon, how it was last longer than eternity..."

Sango barely felt the pressure on her brow as he pressed his lips to her serene face.

"Someday, my love. Someday you will be mine. And someday, I will finally be yours. That day will be the happiest day of my life. It will be the end to all the tormented anguish in my heart. But I will wait for you, Sango."

There was a soft pause. "Until then, sweet dreams."

And then, all was lost as she slipped under the covers of sleep, entering a time of pleasant dreaming.

By the time the disoriented exterminator awoke, the sun had already set, and the veil of night had darkened across the empty horizon. She yawned, an odd warmth clinging to her body. Distressed at having to distance herself from this source of warmth as she gradually awoken, Sango rubbed her eyes sleepily, waiting for the coldness of reality to settle. But it was to her bewilderment that the warmth desisted to leave her, and at this, her eyes naturally flew open, fearing that she was still asleep.

Lifting her head upwards, she locked gazes with Miroku, who was watching her intensely. And then she realized that his arms were unabashedly wrapped around her body, and the fact that he refused to let go of her even after she realized this made things even _more_ awkward.

Blushing, she tried futilely to slip out of his grip without it being too obvious. "I can't believe I fell asleep at a time like this," she sighed. He stared at her quietly, a content smile stretching over his lips as his arms finally released her.

"You'd have had to sleep eventually, Sango."

"I know." She sighed, then glanced at him. "Thank you for letting me sleep, Miroku. I didn't realize how tired I've been."

He only smiled knowingly, then yawned. "Well, I suppose that I should get some rest too. With all this worrying, lack of sleep is only going to send us to our graves faster."

Sango suddenly lifted her gaze, turning towards Inuyasha. She couldn't help the relieved smile that passed her lips momentarily at the sight that befell her. Inuyasha had finally succumbed to his exhaustion, and was now propped up on the grass by the well, and Shippou was sleeping beside him.

When she turned back, Miroku had shifted position, half his body laying on top of the ground next to her. He was watching her softly. "Sango, would you mind if I..." And she wasn't sure, but she thought that his cheeks looked a bit pink…

"...Used your lap as a pillow?" he finished. Sango felt herself blushing at the question, but for some reason, she _knew_ that he hadn't meant it as a hentai question. His eyes had darkened as he watched her reaction carefully.

"I'd understand if you felt uncomfortable. It's just that...I'd feel a lot safer knowing that you were with me, watching over me," Miroku added quietly.

And speechless, she had nodded. As she gazed down upon his sleeping face, her fingers tenderly brushed away the locks of hair that had fallen across his eyes, and she felt a shiver suddenly.

But she brushed it off, inhaling softly as the sky deepened further into midnight. Tomorrow would be a better day, she hoped, as she shut her eyes peacefully. It had been a tough week for all of them, but thanks to Miroku, she felt better about the obstacles to come.

As rested her hand next to Miroku's cutely innocent face, her heart surged with adoration. It was as if something had passed between the two of them after she had awoken, some unspoken communication.

She began drifting off once more.

There was a whisper in the night.

_"Someday, my love... Until then, sweet dreams." _

With the nod of her head, she entered the realm of dreams.

The stars twinkled.

* * *

(A.N. More to come! Please review and/or e-mail me with suggestions/questions! By the way, I noticed that since I didn't actually _delete_ the story before I started rewriting and posting up the chapters again, all of the old reviewers can't review for the chapter, because the server claims that you _already _did review for it. So that means that until I post up Chapter 9, you old fans won't be able to comment on But you guys can still e-mail me! Please do- I'd love to know what you guys think of the rewrites. Better? Worse? Let me know! Thanks for all the support!) 


	7. Kissing a Dream

_Only A Reflection Away_

Chapter 7

As he gazed down reflectively into the serene lake, the wolf demon set off a chain of ripples within the water as he cupped his palms and splashed the translucent liquid over his face, savoring the feeling of its coolness as it trickled down the side of his face. Kouga had always taken care to cleanse himself after any bloody hunt, being that appearances were important within his clan, and he had never looked upon being unkempt too kindly. But now that Kagome was here, he had to take extra precautions to appear his best in front of her. At the mere thought of her, Kouga was filled with warmth intense enough to numb him from the icy water dripping from his cheeks.

But the dawdling warmth fled his body as he remembered frantically trying to awaken Kagome, fearing that it was already too late. He felt a swift chill course through his body at recalling the way that he had held Kagome's cold, nearly lifeless body tightly in his arms.

He thought that she was...

That she might have been...

The wolf demon rose to his feet, scowling angrily at the memory. It occurred to him at that very moment that he had never truly gotten a chance to tell Kagome how he felt about her. And what also occurred to him was that he would _not_ let that fear strike him again. Kagome was not going to get away from this time without knowing the truth.

The damn mutt had stolen far more precious time from him that the wolf demon had initially imagined. Kouga's scowl deepened further, furious at the hanyou's negligence to protect Kagome. Where the hell was he when Kagome was lying there, on the brink of death? He had not protected Kagome, so now he would have to suffer the consequences. For Kagome was _not_ going back with Inuyasha without a fight. Kouga wasn't sure when the hanyou would be paying him a visit, but he gathered that it would be soon, given the period of time in which Kagome had been gone.

It was obvious that something had happened between Inuyasha and Kagome, and it was bad enough to force her to wander aimlessly through the forest at night alone. It had to be serious, that was for certain. Of course, Kouga had the decency not to pry into Kagome's personal affairs, and until she was readily willing to tell him, he would not pry. His curiosity would just have to wait, though he honestly didn't mind. If it meant that she would stay with him for a second longer, Kagome could take as long as she wanted to tell him the truth.

Kouga's scowl melted away in a manner similar to that of ice thawing. He couldn't wait any longer, the wolf decided. He was well aware that his guards were on duty; Ginta would see to that, for Kouga had left him in charge for the night.

The ookami moved with the swiftness that had once allowed him to capture her during their first encounter. Things had, he acknowledged with a weak smile, been different then. His priorities had been vastly different. But he had changed, and perhaps it was for better.

And perhaps the most surprising thing of all was that he welcomed the change with open arms. Before, it had always been grudgingly that he had changed any tiny detail of his demeanor for the better of the pack. But this, this was not the same. He had found a purpose to life, and it had presumably been noticeable, in the way that he now acted towards his fellow warriors. He had always treated them with respect, of course, but his demeanor was no longer cold, and his outlook towards life filled him with warmth he had never realized existed.

During the hunt for food, he had been distracted with his heart's bombardment of Kagome's image in his mind. Too lovesick to have been able to focus clearly, Kouga took his fill of food when the hunt was over, saved a portion for Kagome, and assigned guards to his regular post, having left immediately to return to his home. And to return to Kagome. He had taken cloth and tenderly wrapped the food within its soft fabric for her.

If that wasn't a sign of love, what _was_?

With that last thought fleeing from his mind as soon as his den came into view, Kouga was relieved to find Kagome exactly where he left her. His lips automatically curved into a smile as he stepped into his den, holding the bundle of food out to her proudly.

"Kagome, I brought back food for you," he spoke softly, placing the cloth beside her, his smile widening in expectation of her delight. But the playfulness faded from his countenance at her solemnity. Something was troubling her deeply, and his heart clenched in anticipation of bad news."What is it, Kagome? What's wrong?" he forced himself to ask her. His tone had lost its gentleness, and was instead rough with anxiety.

It was the absence of her usual cheerfulness that had been the first indicator of trouble, but it was the sadness in her eyes that made him weak with fear.

"Kouga, thank you for everything you've done for me..." Kagome began suddenly, not even bothering to look up. "You saved my life and took care of me. But I have to return..."

"...To Inuyasha," he finished, unable to hide the jealously and heartache in his tone.

She nodded. "...I'm sorry."

Kouga didn't move. "Are you?" he asked, hating himself for even saying that. She seemed startled by the question, and her body flinched with hurt at his statement, but she gave no other indication of response. "Do you really want to see him that badly?" the wolf demon questioned, though it was more of a thought directed to himself aloud rather than to her.

"I can't stay here, Kouga," Kagome spoke quietly, not answering either question. Twisting a searing dagger into his heart couldn't have cut him more deeply than that statement.

Was it that she couldn't? Or that she _wouldn't_?

Silence. There was no longer any choice. He had to let her go.

"You're not a captive, Kagome." He paused a moment, a mournfully nostalgic smile touching the sad corners of his eyes. "Not this time, anyway. You are free to return to him anytime you want, if my presence truly repulses you so."

With a heart filled with lead, he turned his back on her, eyes cloudy as he moved towards his den. And yet, something warm clasped onto his hand, halting him instantly.

"Wait, Kouga..." Kagome whispered from behind him. He tensed with concern, for she was standing up, and from the way that her hand was moving unsteadily, her strength was fading again. But something told him to stay put.

His heart raced the moment he realized that it was Kagome's hand that was gently forcing him to stand still. He remained there with his back to her, though it became increasingly harder to control his breathing.

"It's not what you think, Kouga..." Kagome said softly, her grip seeming almost to tighten with every word that she spoke. "It's just...I'm worried about my friends. I've been gone a long time, you see. And they're probably afraid that something happened to me. I was only going to try and find them so that I could explain my delayed return. That's all."

He couldn't help but scowl. "And the mutt?"

"I'm sure Inuyasha's worried too. He's not as insensitive as you make him out to be, Kouga. He's my friend, and being concerned about each other is nothing unusual."

The mood suddenly froze, chilled with the heavy labor of dark truth. The ookami paused softly before he spoke once more.

"Would you have returned?" He was surprised at the calmness of his own voice.

Her reply was hesitant but firm. "Yes."

His heart almost burst with joy. Taking a deep breath, his tone lowered as he spoke again. "Then will you stay here with me?"

This time, there was no reply. Kagome remained silent.

He turned around. Gazing intensely into her eyes, his piercing eyes tried to decipher the glow of unshed tears threatening to spill. He knew that she still retained feelings, possibly of love, for Inuyasha. That was a taboo subject for now. But things had changed with everything had happened. There was no taking back what had been said, or what would be done in the future. He had been amazingly patient, but Kouga found that he could no longer wait to find out what would unfold next. He needed an answer, whether verbal or not. Any movement of her body would trigger him off to how she really felt.

"_Will you stay?_" Kouga repeated. With a finger, he tilted her crestfallen face, forcing her to look him in the eye.

Her eyes flickered for a split second as she opened her mouth to speak.

There was a spark there.

She had made her decision.

And before she could even reply, Kouga stepped forward with swiftness, and lowered his head in a moment of love and kissed her with a passionate gentleness that was unexpected on both sides. It was no light kiss of being caught in the moment; the ookami leader transmitted merely a fraction of his deep feelings for her through the act, his heart pounding in a frenzy as he began to loose track of any conscious thought, drowning himself further as he wrapped her up into his arms.

The fire of love that welled up in him startled him, and the explosion of color that met his gaze when his lips touched hers blinded the wolf demon.

It had been the subject of many sleepless nights, of incessant longing to finally hold her in his arms this way. And this was exactly the way in which he imagined it; his timing was precise, and Kagome had been far too distracted to even guess his intentions. Her lips were warm and inviting, and it was with the utmost reluctance that he finally pulled back, breathless with something akin to wonder at the feeling of the kiss.

Her cheeks were flushed now, and she looked slightly unsteady. Kouga wondered if her accelerated heart rate had been a result of the kiss, and he hid a smirk at that. He had never felt such a feeling of intense euphoria before in his heart, and far from being unsettled by it, he rather liked it. The colors were still flashing in his eyes, and the world felt as if it were spinning.

_That_ was a kiss.

Kagome hadn't spoken a word, still in shock, he presumed. He had thought she would react this way. He grinned. She was _so_ amusing whenever she become embarrassed. Blushing, the girl now refused to meet his gaze, her attention to intensely focused on the ground, she could have burned a hole into the soil with her eyes. But he hadn't come this far only to back down this quickly.

He lifted her chin with his fingers, clasping her hands in his own immediately afterward. He held back a sigh of awe, wondering how it was remotely possible for anyone to be this beautiful. Kouga bit back a scowl. Inuyasha had _no_ idea what he had lost with his stupidity. And if things went well, maybe Inuyasha never would.

"Kagome," he whispered softly, "I don't think I can live without you. I can't live without your beautiful smile, without your warmth, and without your gentleness. I need you beside me or else..."

_'I think I'd die...' _He didn't finish the statement aloud. He simply couldn't. Overcome with a wave of fresh longing for her, he wrapped his arms around her possessively, burying his face into her hair. She nearly fell into his arms, weakened by the strain she had placed on her body. He supported her with his grip, and nothing would keep him away from her now.

Even though she had probably gotten the gist of what he felt for her, she would never understand how deep his love for her went. But one day, hopefully soon, when the timing was right, he would speak those three words to her, and bind himself to her forever.

Kagome would be his.

Nothing would come between him and Kagome again. If Inuyasha even dared to take her away from him, there would only be one thing to do. The ookami snarled internally. He'd send the pup to hell to mourn his devastating loss. Let him stay there with his precious Kikyo. The mutt was a fool.

Once he thought about it, Kouga realized that Inuyasha's mistake had already launched him into the inferno of desolation.

For...

Hell was a world without Kagome...

* * *

(A.N. Thank you for all of your support, and sorry about the delay in getting this chapter up. I will probably upload the next chapter _after_ Christmas break, since I will be gone for a week. Let me know what you think about this chapter! Please review/e-mail me!) 

Much love,

-Xi


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